Janice Patterson
Janice Himes Patterson passed away on October 4, 2026 after living with multiple myeloma for several years. She expressed many times how grateful she was for such a rich and meaningful life, yet she still wanted to live more! The paint was not yet dry on the latest acrylic pour in her studio, and she was still learning how to play the rest of Stormy Weather on the piano. This expressed her true spirit—learning to paint at age 70 then winning the Kirsten Diensai Memorial Award at the Seattle CoArts juried show for her piece “Enchanted”, and starting piano lessons for the first time at age 80.
Family and friends know that Janice loved everyone with warmth and depth and kindness. She had a generosity of heart and a sense of humor that brightened the world of all those she met.
Janice cared deeply about children and their well-being, which was reflected in both her personal and professional life. She was the first to go to college in her family, and she went on to earn a PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Teacher Leadership in 1979. Prior to her retirement in 2009, she thrived on teaching children’s literature to teachers-in-training at the University of Alabama Birmingham.
Janice is survived by her husband of 59 years, Jerry, her daughter Janna (husband Frantz, children Chris, Xavier, Simone, Jamal and Karim) and son Jerrod (wife Angela, children Alex and Lucy). She is also survived by her brother, Leonard Himes.
In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations to Reach Out and Read in honor of her memory: .
Her star will shine in our sky forever.